Ammunition-box.



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JAMES ARMSTRONG WILDING, OF LONDON, ENGLAND,

THIRDS TO 'WALTER ROTHSCHILD AND GERALD DUDLEYVSMITH,

SAME PLACE.

ASSIGNOR OF TWO- AMMUNITioN-eox.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 661,201, dated November 6, 1900.v

Application filed June ll, 1900.

To all whom t :l1/ty concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES ARMSTRONG WILDING, a subject of the Queen of England, residing .at London England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Ammunition-Boxes, (for which I have made application for Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. v743, dated January 12, 1900,) of which the following is a specification.

Thisv invention relates to ammunitionboxes, and has particular reference to boxes which hold the belts or bands of cartridges for machine-guns.

The primary object of the invention is `to i 5 obviate tbedelay which occurs while the band is withdrawn from the gun and placed in the box, if the gun has to stop firing and be shifted when only part of a band of cartridges has been used, and the similar delay which 2o occurs while the band is being replaced in the gun before firing: can be resumed. An ammunition-box according lo this invention is so constructed that the lid may be closed without any delay whenever the gun a5 stops firing, the lid then gripping the band iirinly or engaging it between neighboring, cartridges at the point which happens to be adjacent to the exit from the box. Thus'the ammuniiion-box becomes connected to the 3o breech of the gun by the band and may, if desired, hangsuspended by the latter, so that the simple operation of again raising the lid puts the gun into immediate readiness to resuine firing. Another advantage of the iniproved box is that there is no danger of the lid being prevent-ed by a cartridge from closing or of a cartridge being accidentally dis- 'charged if the lid of the box is violently closed. In the accompanying drawings, which illus- 4o trate one method of carryinr ont thisinveni'on, Figure l shows a longitudinal vertical s' ction of an yammunition-box constructed according to this invention with the lid raised for delivering.; the cartridge-band, the bottom Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the lidy closedv and the cartridge-band gripped between the lid and the box, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the ammunition-box in position for use. 5o The ammunition-box A is providedwith a serialNo. 19,983. (No modal.)

lid A', hinged to one end of the box at A2A The upper end of that side of the box remote from vthe hinge A.2 is recessed at A3. Above the recessed portion A3 is a down wardly-projecting tongue B. The projecting portion of the tongue l is rounded and is made integral with a longitudinal strip B','by which it is secured to the lid A'. The tongue B, with its part B', is conveniently made of some resilient snb' stance, such as strip metal, so that the pro-'6o jecting portion B is normally kept away from the lid A', but may be forced back against it when pressure is brought tobear upon it. A catch C of known construction is arranged at the side of the box and adapted to automatically secure the lid when the latter is closed down upon .the box, and on that side of the lid. opposite the catch isarranggel a guide C. 'lhe bottom of the recess A is beveled or rounded and 'is preferably covered by'a metal 7o plate A4, by which that part of the box is strengthened. The cartridge-band D, con` tained within the box, passes over this rounded edge on its way to the breech of thegumso that the bottom of the recess serves as a supporting edge for the traveling band. The operation of the device is as follows: One end of the cartridge-belt D is withdrawn from the box and placed in the gun, ready for action, in the usual manner; but the lid A', instead of being thrown back', as in ordinary practice, is raised snliiciently to' allow the cartridge-band to pass ont freely from the recessed part A3, the lid being supported in this position bythe catch C bearing upon the side 85 wall of the box. If now the gun has to be moved and firing stopped, it is only necessary to press down the `lid A', when the tongue B will engage the cartridge-bund D between two ofthe cartridges, as shown in Fig. 2, thus 9o gripping the cartridge-band firmly, while the lid is automatically secu red by the catch C. To recommence firing, it is only necessary to release lthe catch C'and raiseithe lid to its former position, when the cartridge-band D n that should. a cartridge happen to be directly Afoo i' ss j `'rests upon a rounded surface, will 2 i some1- l upon the bottom'of the recess at the time the lid is closed-the rounded feejfthetbngiie' B, bearing" against the cartridge-,which itself U86 ery neri Iv such cartridge to move'back in'to'fo out of the box.

the lidof the box againsthe action ofi-.the resilient part B'. risk of lodgrnent oi' a cartridge upon the edge of the plate A4 and the consequent obstrn c tien this would canse to the immediate elo-'- sureof the lid A', the most prominent' p'o-l tionorthe operative edge of Ithe plateA,

l which forms the bottom of the recess A3', is

arranged to lie ina different plane from that occupied by the most prominent portion on In tliedrfwr'fv operative edge of the tongue. ings the operative edge of the tongue B- is shown as lying in a plane behind that occupied by theoperative edge of the plateA 8e that the opposing faces of vthe two `members do net coincde when in a positionof rest-L This/arrangement makes it impossible for a cartri'dgeto'be jammed between the tongue B and the bottom ofthe recess A5, as' if the rartridge lies u pon he'operativc edge of theplate A4 -it will be forcedv outside the box when the lid is closed, and if it lies immediately bei' neath the most. prominent part or operative edge 'of the tongue B itwill be force d 'back into the box when' the. lid is cl'o'sed. To strengthen disconnection between .the lid and box,I oneplate of the hingef 'scari'ed down'the rear of the box and secured beneathit. l v

` it will be understood'that this inve'ntion'is not limited to the particular construction shown in the drawings, as itis obvionsthat the plate A4 might be carried'upon a springv and the tongue B secured rigidly to thelidv in the form of a bead or rigid projection? Also the recess A3 might be formed in the lid, the plate A? being madejliush with the top' of the wall of the box. The ammunitiombox could be constructed according to any of these modifications without departing. 'from the spirit of the invention, which consists in providing an ammunition-box with a device by which the cartridge-band may be instantaneously gripped, such device being operated by raising and lowering the lid. What l claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. .The combination of abox adapted to coni tain a cartridge-band and having a recess in the-upper edge of one of its sides for the passage of. the cartridge-band, a lid hinged to the box and having 'a projection at its `free en'd to coperate with the recess to clamp the band therein, and means to lock the lid in closed position, substantially as set forth.

To prevent damageltbftlie cartridge, the ton'g ue`B is spring-con trolled,=as' described, so that. it may heforced back upon To still fnrtherobviat'e thev end to cooperate with the recess to' c la p band therein, and a catch adapted when inl 2.- The combination of a box adapted to con'- tain aj cartridge-band and having a recess in th'eupper edge of one of its sides for the passage of the' cartridge-band, a lid' hinged to the box and having a projection at its fr ee vend to coperate withth erecessV to clamp the band therein', the operative surfaces of the projection' rand recess 'being" rounded and lying in different planes, nndmeans tollock the lid in closed position', s nbstantallyas set forth. v l

f 3. The-combination of abox adapted to conthev box and having a projection at'its free end to cooperate with the recess to clamp the band therein, thebperative sunfnees of the projection and lre'ce'ss being rounded and' I ying in ditferntiplanemand oneof said sury fiic'es' b'e'in'" fixed andthe other yielding and means to ock t'h'elid in closed position, subsmntiiniy s' set forth.

4. `The combination of a box adapted to con'- -tain a cartridge-hand and having a recess in the ipper edge of one of its sides for the passageof 'the cartir idgeband,a lid .hinged to the box, a spiing secured tothe freeen'd of the lid vand having a downwardlyfprojecting portion to cooperate with the'receii tuclamp.

lthe baud therein, andfmeans toflock'th'e -lid'l in closed position., substantially-asset forth. 5. The combination-of a hox'adapted to conytain a cartridgefband' and having a recess'inj the' upper edgeof olie of its sides for the pas` sage of the cartridgeahand, szlid hingedy to -th' e box, a spring secured to the free endof the lid and having a downwardlyprojecting portion tocopera'tewith the recess to clamp the band therein, the" operative surfaces of the recess and downwardly-projecting por` tion of the spring being rounded and lying in different planes, and means to lock the lid in closed position, substantially as setforth.

6. The combination of a box adapted-tofcoi 1 tain acartridge-band and having arecess in f the upper edge ofo'ne of its sides for the pas- 'sage of the cartridge-band,a. lid yhiliililfft to y thebox and having aprojectionatitsifre'e the 7S tain `a.'cartridgehand and having a recess in "the upper edge-f one of its sides for the pass 'sage'of thecartridge-hanma lid hinged to 

